Plastic shopping bags are commonly used in supermarkets, department stores and similar applications. These bags have advantages in that they are relatively inexpensive to produce, provide substantial carrying capacity and may include easily used handles. When the bags are produced in larger, more heavy-duty sizes, several problems occur.
First, storage and retrieval of the bags becomes difficult as the bags become larger. Typical packaging of the bags involves storing them in flat packs in paperboard or corrugated cartons. These containers require substantial shelf space and the containers tend to slide on the shelves when the bags are removed from them. Often the bag boxes are placed on the floor, requiring excessive bending on the part of a cashier filing the bags. Such bending motions also require the cashier to be unavailable to watch the customer during checkout. Second, when stored in flat packages, the bags tend to slide over one another making retrieval from the storage container difficult. Third, the cartons in which the bags are stored are disposable and expensive to produce.
It is an objective of the invention to provide a means for dispensing large size shopping bags while maximizing the use of limited checkout counter space. It is a further objective to prevent the need for checkout personnel to bend over to reach for the shopping bags. It is another objective of the invention to allow the checkout personnel to maintain eye contact with customers while reaching for shopping bags. It is still another objective to provide for bag dispensers that can be mounted in a variety of different ways to suit the needs of particular checkout stations. Finally, it is an objective of the invention to provide dispensers that can be easily and quickly loaded with shopping bags without the need for disposing of any bag boxes or containers.
Various designs have been developed for roll mounted bags and dispensers for such bags, incorporating a number of different technologies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,666 issued to Simhaee discloses a roll of plastic bags wound on a core in a star-sealed configuration for use with a dispenser having opposing tracks in which the roll is supported. The dispenser has a separating tongue for enabling individual bags to be separated from the roll. Separation lines are provided between adjacent bags, a slot in each separation line being engageable by the tongue within the dispenser so that individual bags may be dispensed from the roll one at a time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,019 issued to Morris, describes a bag separator and dispenser for use with bags wound on a core and separated by perforation lines at each end of the bags. The perforation lines include a slot that is collinear with the perforations and is used to engage a separator projection. The projection enters the slot as the bags are pulled from the roll. The dispenser includes two braking devices to control the removal of bags from the roll, a braking bar underneath the roll of bags and a pair of fingers that are attached to the channel for the core and are designed to engage the core as the number of bags on the roll decreases.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,134, issued to Dancy discloses a deformable plastic bag dispenser for a continuous roll of plastic bags. The dispenser is cylindrical in shape and includes a longitudinal slot for dispensing the bags. Adjacent bags on the roll are attached by a perforated tear line. The dispenser is deformable to allow the operator to grip the roll by squeezing the dispenser, preventing further rotation of the roll, and allowing a bag to be removed from the roll.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,539 issued to Haenni et al. describes a through-counter dispensing system for plastic bags. A dispensing nozzle is fitted to a hole in a countertop. The bags are wound on rolls mounted to racks beneath the counter. The nozzle includes frictional elements in the form of a zigzag slot designed to allow a first bag to be torn from a subsequent bag as the first bag is pulled through the slot. An enlarged loading opening is provided at one side of the slot to facilitate loading of the first bag into the nozzle for dispensing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,570 issued to DeMatteis is directed to a dispenser of plastic bags. The bags are stacked in a position for mouth forward dispensing. The bags are folded at two locations; the first is a fold at the straps' juncture with the rest of the bag and the second is a fold closer to the bottom of the bag (about half-way) at a location that permits each fold, to lie against the front and rear walls of the carton. This helps keep the stack of plastic bags in position within the carton between the front and rear walls. The first fold results in lie strap being folded to extend away from the bag mouth cutout and toward the second fold. The bags are thus positioned to expose the top-most mouth in the stack, which is in a forward-most position immediately accessible via the cutout.
While other variations exist, the above-described designs for roll and carton mounted bags and dispensers are typical of those encountered in the prior art. While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.